New Haven Independent

With temperatures in the teens Monday night, the protesters also called for an end to the drug war that has put thousands of state residents — mostly black and Latino — behind bars, many for non-violent offenses. The group called for for an end to unequal treatment by race. Several pointed out that the General Assembly is considering expanding the number of crimes considered violent offenses and longer prison sentences as a result of the murders in Cheshire of three members of the Petit family, who were white.

One of the speakers, Sheldon Tucker (pictured), said, “You see what happened in Cheshire, when the people got together, things changed. It’s not just because it was a white family this happened to that action is being taken. It’s because these people got together and fought.” As he has at previous rallies, he implored families of inmates to come out and get active, too, if they want to see any changes in their favor.

Gary Holder-Winfield talked of fair weather friends and wondered where they are in the struggle for prison reform in Connecticut. He mentioned people who had gathered earlier in the day inside warm buildings to celebrate Dr. King’s life, and some members of the clergy who held a press conference in Hartford recently on the issue. “They’re not here,” he said, looking around dramatically for effect. Click here to hear more.

Tyrone Weston, who supervises the street outreach workers who are successfully engaging at-risk youth in the city, said he was honored to be at the rally. “I have a brother who’s incarcerated right now, with the parole ban, and I’m pleading to the governor: Please, lift this ban, because my brother was a young man who was trying to do the right thing. And there are a lot of black men who need to come out and step up and be men, to show these young men out here how to be men.” Click here to hear more.

As loudly as some of the speakers yelled into the bullhorn, or as loudly as the group chanted (click here for a taste of the energy), it was unclear if any of the inmates behind them could hear any of the rally held to support them. But as several speakers using the bullhorn accidentally set off the “police siren” option, it’s more likely the inmates heard that.

Sally Joughin from People Against Injustice read a flyer that 30 groups have signed onto opposing the “three strikes” proposal that is scheduled for debate Tuesday in the General Assembly. The groups say instead of passing laws that will put even more people behind bars, “Connecticut needs education, employment and housing for re-entry, not increased GPS tracking” (as one of the bills proposes). Click here to read it.